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Manipulating minds, stealing plans, and finally striking from the shadows. That’s the game plan of the Dimir Commander, a fitting strategy forMagic: The Gathering’s most Machiavellian color combination. Blue brings cleverness and calculation, while black brings decisive and deadly action.
Related:Magic: The Gathering – Golgari Commander Staples Guide
Dimir Commander decks can go in a lot of different directions, from Zombies and Ninja typals to milling opponents' libraries. But there are some cards that every Dimir mage should be aware of, and we’ve gathered them all into this handy guide. Read on to discover Dimir’s Commander staples.
Card Draw
With access to blue mana, Dimir has no problem castingFactor or Fiction,Deep Analysis, or the dreadedRhystic Study, while black providesPhyrexian Arena,Night’s Whisper, andNecropotence. Dimir often mixes combat with card draw, providing you with sneaky critters that love to draw upon dealing damage.
Shadowmage Infiltrator,Dimir Cutpurse, andThief of Sanityare all examples of little critters that attack for the Dimir mage’s benefit.Mask of Riddlesalso takes advantage of Dimir’s tendency for unblockable creatures.
Besides that,Kaitoloves to draw cards regardless of what form he comes in, and don’t forget Dimir spells likeLim-Dul’s Vault,Consult the Necrosages, orSiphon Insight.Sygg, River Cutthroatis also a noteworthy addition for how often he’ll trigger in a multiplayer format.
Ramp
Dimir doesn’t ramp, so we’re down to the usual suspects here.Solemn Simulacrum,Sol Ring,Burnished Hart, andCommand Sphere, are all good choices, as are theDimir Cluestone,Signet, andKeyrune. Don’t forgetJourneyer’s Kite,Mistvein Borderpost, andDarksteel Ingot.
StormscapeandNightscape Familiarsare also noteworthy additions for being creatures, which black has an easy time reanimating when they die. They’re also decent trade fodder for tricksy cards likeThe Trickster-God’s Heist.
Removal
What’s good about Dimir is that it has a lot of removal spells that also double as counterspells. ThinkDrown in the Loch,Ertai Resurrected,Dimir Charm, andSilumgar’s Command.Connive/Concoctalso provides extra utility by being able to reanimate a dead critter, andRecoilis basically a Vindicate once your opponent’s hand is empty.
Hostage Taker,Evil Twin, andDragonlord Silumgarhighlight Dimir’s tendency to simply take problematic permanents away from their enemies. Agony Warp is a potential two-for-one spell in the right combat scenario, and Tyrant’s Scorn bounces what it can’t kill.
Don’t forget that Dimir has access to all the usual black kill spells likeMurder,Terror,Bone Shredder, andShriekmaw.
Counterspells
We’ve already discussed some of Dimir’sflexible counterspells, but there are a few more we should point out.
Soul Manipulation,Shadow of Doubt, andMuddle the Mixtureare all counterspells that can do something else when a counterspell isn’t warranted. Muddle the Mixture brings up Dimir’s extremely usefulTransmute ability, which lets you tutor for cards of the same converted mana cost.
Psychic Strike,Undermine, andSoul Manipulationare just better counterspells, but you may never go wrong with two blue mana to say “no.”
Board Wipes
Black is good at wiping creatures off the board, while blue is better at bouncing. Getting rid of everything else will likely require the trio of board-wiping artifacts,Nevinyrral’s Disk,Oblivion Stone, andPerilous Vault. Dimir has a tendency to like artifacts, so consider these when building for board wipe.
There’s alsoDamnation,Evacuate,Cyclonic Rift,Decree of Pain, andToxic Delugeto go along with the usual suspects for board wipes. Special note goes toRags/Riches, which has some added late-game utility, andSilumgar, the Drifting Death, who can wipe out small armies on the attack.
Related:Magic: The Gathering – The Best Commanders For A Treefolk Deck
Tricksy Critters
While Dimir loves to draw cards from its smaller creatures, it can do way more than that.BalefulandTidehollow Strixesare excellent early-game rattlesnakes alongsideOona’s Gatewarden.Obsessive Stitcheris card cycling attached to a reanimation effect, whileAraumi of the Dead Tidecan surprise opponents with whatever is in your graveyard.
Dimir Guildmagedeserves a special note for being able to eliminate your opponent’s hand in the late game, whileCavern Harpyprovides an easy combo to repeat your creatures' come-into-play effects.Ertata, the Silenceris a hilarious way to win games and also pairs well with another card category that we’ll get to later.
Big Monsters
Dimir doesn’t have as many large creatures as other colors, but it does have a few.Lord of the Nazgulis from the new Tales of Middle-earth set and can become a terrifying threat if left unchecked.Gyruda, Doom of the Depthscan do a lot for a little and is easy to find if you only play with even-mana cards.
Consuming Aberrationis likely to be the biggest creature you’re able to field in Dimir colors and pairs well with mill strategies (more on that later).Mindleech Massis expensive, but it pays for itself if it manages to get through.Runo Stromkirkworks best with Leviathans, Krakens, Octopuses, and Serpents, so be sure to pair him with appropriately blue monsters.
Other than that, you’ve got access to blue and black’s big critters, so don’t forgetGrave Titan,Rune-Scarred Demon,Harvester of Souls, andJin-Gitaxias.
Playing Your Opponent’s Spells For Them
Blue is good at theft, but blue and black are better.Steal your opponents' cards before they even have a chance to play them–that’s the Dimir way.
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin,Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver,Nightveil Specter,Silent-Blade Oni, andMnemonic Betrayalwill all let you play your opponent’s decks for them. This often mitigates Dimir’s lack of large creatures and can even provide an unexpected answer to big threats.
But most of all, it’s a lot of fun to watch your opponent’s face fall asyou play the spell they were hoping to draw.
Mill
Take cards from a library and make them disappear. Do it enough to your opponents and you’ll win the game. It’s not easy with Commander’s 100-card decks, but it’s still possible, and there arequite a few Dimir cards that can get the job done.
There are also cards that can turn mill into damage, likeDuskmantle Guildmage,Oona, Queen of the Fae, andUmbris, Fear Manifestdon’t just wait for your opponents to run out of cards. They can use those cards to turn them into big damage.
Special note goes toTraumatizeandGlimpse the Unthinkableto get the mill party started.
Lands
Dimir wants a lot oflands that produce black and blue mana, and there are lots of those to choose from. Besides that, there are a few more lands that players should always include.
Because Dimir loves to draw cards, it can sometimes find itself with more than seven cards in hand;Reliquary Towerfixes that. Dimir also has lots of critters that do stuff upon dealing damage to opponents;Ghost QuarterandRogue’s Passageensures they get through.
Other than that, have a few cycling lands likeBarren MoorandRemote Isle, andWaterfront Districtcan be a good way to get cards in the late game after your mana is established.
